After a lopsided defeat at the hands of the Indianapolis Colts on Monday Night Football, the New York Giants looked to bounce back against the Seattle Seahawks, though traveling to CenturyLink Field is rarely a recipe for success. A hard-fought, first half battle turned ugly in the second half as the Giants had no answer for the Seahawks’ running game that totaled 350 yards on 45 carries (7.8 yards/carry) and five rushing touchdowns.
Despite the lopsided stats, the game was competitive throughout, with an Eli Manning interception late in the third quarter a big turning point. He played a strong game overall, but a forced throw led to a tipped ball that landed in the hands of free safety Earl Thomas. Seattle capitalized with a seven-play, 58-yard touchdown drive to go up 24-17 before tacking on touchdowns on their next two drives to put the game out of reach.
Seattle moves to 6-3 on the season to maintain second place in the NFC West while the Giants fall to 3-6 and a last place tie with the Washington Redskins in the NFC East. Here’s a look at the key performances from the game.
New York Giants – Performances of Note
Defensive Line: -17.7
Breakdown: It’s hard to pinpoint the worst individual performances on the Giants’ defense, but it’s pretty easy to point out that the defensive line did not play well. Whether getting moved by the Seahawks’ offensive line, run over by RB Marshawn Lynch, or losing contain on quarterback keepers from Russell Wilson, little went right up front for the Giants.
Signature Plays: The lasting impression of this game is the sight of Wilson picking up uncontested yardage on QB keepers and naked bootlegs. There was no one culprit as multiple defensive ends as well as linebackers got in on the action losing the edge.
Justin Pugh, RT: -4.5
Breakdown: After a strong start to the season, Pugh has now graded negatively in his last four games. He struggled in the run game (-1.3) and he gave up a hit and five hurries in pass protection, succumbing mostly to DE Cliff Avril.
Signature Plays: Pugh got bullrushed by Avril right into QB Eli Manning’s lap at the 8:23 mark of the third quarter and was later beaten by Avril’s speed with 6:00 to go in the fourth quarter.
Odell Beckham Jr, WR: +1.9
Breakdown: With rookie wide receivers making their mark all over the league in recent weeks, Beckham Jr did his part by catching seven passes for 108 yards, with much of his work coming against one of the league’s best cornerbacks in Richard Sherman.
Signature Plays: Beckham beat Sherman with a nice double move late in the first quarter for a 44-yard gain and then broke free from CB Marcus Burley on a go-route just two plays later for a 26-yard gain that set up the Giants’ second touchdown.
Seattle Seahawks – Performances of Note
Marshawn Lynch, RB: +3.2
Breakdown: It was classic Lynch has as made defenders pay to the tune of missed tackles and yards after contact. He gained 144 yards on the ground on 21 carries, 94 of which came after contact and he forced 11 tacklers to miss. His +3.9 rushing grade would have been even higher had he not fumbled early in the fourth quarter.
Signature Plays: Lynch’s run at the 14:22 mark of the third quarter summed up the afternoon as he planted LB Jameel McClain in the hole before making SS Antrel Rolle pay when reaching the second level. It was a 22-yard run that should have been a 2-yard stop, by Lynch’s powerful running style was just too much for the Giants.
Max Unger, C: +4.4
Breakdown: After missing the last four games due to injury, Unger showed well in his return, including a dominating effort in the running game (+4.8). He did a nice job of controlling Giants defensive tackles and taking them where he wanted for much of the game. Seahawks running backs finished with nine carries for 114 yards when running though the A-gaps.
Signature Plays: With 8:27 to go in the fourth quarter, Unger planted DT Johnathan Hankins to the turf (after some double team help from RG J.R. Sweezy), to open a massive hole for Lynch on the play where he eventually fumbled. He took Hankins for a ride later in the quarter at the 5:46 mark, this time RB Christine Michael the beneficiary with a 45-yard gain.
Jerron Johnson, SS: +1.3 and Kevin Pierre-Louis, OLB: +1.8
Breakdown: With injuries in the back-7, the Seahawks tapped into their depth as Johnson and Pierre-Louis both set career highs in snaps with 69 and 42 snaps respectively. Johnson did a nice job keeping the ball in front of him in coverage as he allowed five receptions on seven targets for only 31 yards while Pierre-Louis tied for the team lead with three stops.
Signature Plays: Even though the pass was underthrown, Johnson did a nice job of running down the field with TE Larry Donnell and deflecting the pass with 5:35 to go in the first quarter. Pierre-Louis saved a big gain on a screen pass in the fourth quarter as he shed fellow rookie LG Weston Richburg’s block to make the stop on RB Andre Williams for no gain.
PFF Game Ball
Seahawks RB Marshawn Lynch ran through defenders all afternoon on his way to four touchdowns and the PFF game ball.
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